How to Train Your Dragon: Alternate Ending
by FictionalDrifter
Summary: An alternate ending for the How To Train Your Dragon movie, and a selection of rewritten episodes from the cartoon series. - What if Astrid insisted on finding out how Hiccup got to be better than the rest of them at Dragon Training? What if Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff, Fishlegs and Astrid ALL met Toothless? Read, and find out. {I do not own HTTYD, or any of the characters in this story.}
1. Chapter 1

**The Cove and the Night Fury**

_Outside the Berk Dragon Training Arena..._

Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruff, Tuff, and Snotlout were now a week into their Dragon Training. It began as one might expect – Astrid was focused and determined. The others – Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruff and Tuff – were doing their best – achieving... 'Varying' levels of success. Hiccup seemed to be doing all he could just to stay alive –– At least... at first.

Then something changed. Out of nowhere, Hiccup started appearing in the right place – at the right time. To top it off, as soon as Dragon Training finished, he'd disappear into the woods. Most of the villagers didn't seem to notice – or care, but it was making Astrid suspicious. –– The Zippleback, the Gronkle, and the Terrible Terror... No, something else was going on. Astrid tried to puzzle out what was going on, but... no luck. Finally – after almost a week, she'd had enough. She wanted answers.

The six of them were crossing the stone bridge, leading away from the Dragon Arena. Hiccup was walking ahead, and the other four were trailing after him – looking for tips. Hiccup said something about 'needing to go back to the arena for his axe.' Astrid knew he was trying to sneak away again, so she moved forward, and pushed Hiccup against one wall of the bridge – as he tried to move past her, "Ok – out with it."

"Out with what?" asked Hiccup – feigning ignorance.

"Nobody just 'gets' that good at dragon fighting – especially you. So... What? – Are you training with someone?" Astrid wanted answers, and she wanted them _now_. The rest of the group turned to Hiccup – surprise turning into interest in an instant.

"Uh... Wha – What... training? No, no." Hiccup seemed... on edge, now.

"Then...?" Astrid pressed – she was close now, she knew.

"I don't have to say anything," Hiccup wasn't backing down. "Besides, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Then show us," Astrid insisted.

Hiccup looked around at the others, then back to Astrid. He sighed, and said, "Fine – I just need to get a few things." He started to walk back towards the village – and the rest of them followed eagerly.

_Half an hour later..._

Hiccup's first stop was the village docks – where he filled a basket of fish. At Astrid's insistence, Hiccup gave the basket for Snotlout to carry – it they didn't get 'there', neither would the fish. Hiccup rolled his eyes, but he didn't argue.

Then they stopped at Hiccup's house – where Hiccup retrieved a cloth- and- metal bundle. When asked, he said only that it was "a project I've been working on." Unlike the fish, he insisted on carrying it himself – so that it wouldn't get damaged.

Turning to the rest of the Viking teens, Hiccup said, "We've got a bit of a walk ahead, so – if anyone's hungry, now's the time." Everyone was 'good', so Hiccup lead the way into the woods.

_About an hour later..._

Hiccup next stopped at the top of a shallow slope – a place that Astrid recognized. This was where she'd been practicing her axe- throwing, and where she'd seen Hiccup – briefly, the previous afternoon. Turning back to face Astrid and the others, Hiccup said, "We leave our weapons here – or this is as far as we go." As he spoke, he placed his dagger on the rock next to him.

This was followed by a brief staring- contest between Hiccup and Astrid, which ended when Astrid set her axe and shield down on a near- by rock, and nodded to the others. Somewhat reluctantly, the others followed suit. Hiccup nodded in approval, than lead the way down a path – a path that would have been invisible unless you knew where to look. After about fifteen minutes, they found the way ahead blocked by two boulders – with _just enough_ space between for them all to slip through, one at a time.

Hiccup was about to go through, when Fishlegs spoke up. "Uh – Hiccup... Just who is your friend? And how does he know much about dragons?"

Hiccup paused, and grinned, "If you want to learn about the Outcasts – find an outcast. If you want to learn about Vikings – find a Viking." With that, Hiccup slipped between the boulders, and vanished from sight.

Without bothering to consider what Hiccup had said, Astrid said, "He's trying to give us the slip! Come on!" Astrid slid through the gap – shortly followed by the others.

They found Hiccup waiting for them – at the edge of a large, sheltered cove. As soon as the five of them had had a chance to take- in their surroundings, Astrid rounded on Hiccup. "Start talking."

Hiccup seemed entirely at ease. "I'm guessing you all remember my story about shooting down a Night Fury, last week?" Snotlout sniggered – along with Ruff and Tuff, but Astrid only nodded curtly. Hiccup continued, "I spent most of the next few days trying to find where it had landed. Finally, I found this clearing – and the Night Fury."

Hiccup pointed to a mound of dirt that looked like something big had slammed into it – plowing a trench into the earth until it had come to a full stop. Astrid stared at the trench, then she spotted the remains of the net Hiccup had launched...

"It got out!" Astrid began to back up towards the gap they'd come through.

"I let it out," Hiccup corrected. "I _was_ going to kill it, but... when I saw it, it looked as scared as I felt. It... It's a long story..."

There was a sudden sound, as something shifted, and an instant later – a jet black dragon leapt from a ledge in the cliff beside them! The next thing Hiccup knew, he was flat on his back – and the dragon was licking his face. "Ok, ok! It's good to see you, too – now let me up, will you? We've got guests."

Extricating himself from under the Night Fury, Hiccup set his 'project' down and retrieved the basket of fish from Snotlout. As soon as Hiccup had upended the basket and backed away, the dragon leapt on the fish with such enthusiasm – Hiccup's explanation was almost unneeded, "Apparently, dragons only eat fish. –– And don't ask me what they do with the animals they take – I've got no idea."

Surprisingly, Fishlegs was next to speak, "Is that... _really_ a Night Fury?"

As they watched, one of the fish started to move oddly – as though trying to make a very late escape- attempt. A second later, a Terrible Terror – one of the smallest species of dragon – appeared from the pile. Before it could escape with its prize, the Night Fury snatched the fish out of its jaws and swallowed it – before making a sound that... seemed to be _laughter_.

"Yes," said Hiccup – answering Fishlegs's question. "Meet the 'Unholy offspring of lightening and death, itself.'" The dragon shot him a look, and Hiccup said, "Hey – I'm just repeating what's in the Book of Dragons. We... don't know much about you – obviously."

The Terror stalked toward the larger dragon, growling angrily – before breathing out the gas that it would then ignite to breathe fire. Before it could, the Night Fury casually raised its head – and shot a short burst that ignited the gas, and propelled it back into its owner. The Terror seemed to triple in size – than landed with a defeated 'thump', a short distance away. Grinning, Hiccup picked up a smaller fish, and tossed it to the Terror – "Not so fireproof on the inside, are you?" –– The smaller dragon wolfed down the fish, then walked over to Hiccup, who'd sat down next to the black dragon.

Snotlout spoke next, "I want a dragon!" Ruff and Tuff agreed – which in itself was a rare occurrence.

Astrid remained in a stunned silence. She'd _gotten_ her answers, but she had been completely unprepared for what they were – and what they meant. She looked over at Hiccup, and... something in the way she saw him – as a person – seemed to... shift. When she finally did speak, Astrid said, "We were wrong about them – the dragons – aren't we?"

Hiccup grinned, "You have no idea." Hiccup picked up his mystery- project, and said, "Hey, Toothless – you want to show them our little project?" The dragon leapt to his feet, swinging his tail around to where Hiccup stood – and allowing the young Viking to begin working with buckles and straps.

"What did you call him?" Astrid was sure Hiccup had said 'Toothless' – but this dragon obviously had teeth.

"Toothless," Hiccup repeated – finishing with the tail, and now buckling on a saddle – complete with lines connecting to the prosthetic tail. "Night Furies can retract their teeth – like he'd done when I first saw him. The name sort of... stuck, after that."

A minute later, Hiccup swung into the saddle – and dragon and rider shot into the sky.

The remaining five Vikings watched from the ground – while Hiccup and Toothless tested out the new saddle design. Before long, though, they returned to the ground – though the dragon didn't seem to be overly pleased with their return to solid ground.

"I can't wait to do that with my own dragon!" Snotlout was ecstatic. Everyone else – Astrid included – had really warmed to the idea of having a dragon of their own.

"We have to be careful," Hiccup cautioned. "The rest of Berk still thinks of dragons as our enemies – and it may be hard to convince them otherwise. Maybe we could..." He trailed off, thinking.

"Well? Could what?" Snotlout demanded.

"It's risky," warned Hiccup. "But... maybe we could try to train the dragons that are kept locked- up in the arena. We've got five there... if Ruff and Tuff shared the Zippleback – one head each..."

Astrid looked both eager, and worried. "We wouldn't be able to keep that secret forever..."

"We wouldn't have to – just long enough to _train_ them." Hiccup assured them. "Then we can show the others how we can coexist – but we have to be _careful_."

"Couldn't we just bust them out? – Make it look like they escaped, and keep them here?" Snotlout suggested.

"I like Snotlout's plan!" Ruff chimed in.

"Yeah! We could blow stuff up!" Tuff agreed.

Hiccup shook his head, "Gods, am I talking to myself, here? We need to be careful!"

It took some time, but eventually Hiccup was able to make the others swear not to so much as _speak_ to anyone else about their _pending_ plans for the dragons unless they were _all_ together _in that cove_. As he left, Hiccup prayed that he hadn't just made a huge mistake my telling his friends about his secret.

_**To be continued...**_


	2. Chapter 2

**The Open Sky**

The following morning, the six young Vikings gathered at the Dragon Arena for their morning of training. Gobber – the village blacksmith, and their dragon- killing trainer – led them through their drills. More than once, Hiccup was _sure_ someone was about to slip up – Ruff, Tuff, Snotlout... one of them would ruin it all...

But noon came – and with it the end of the days training. – The morning had passed without incident. '_They want to have their own dragons_,' Hiccup reflected. '_They know it's all over if anyone finds out, it'll all be over – and they don't want to risk that_.'

However, as soon as they were out of earshot of the villagers who'd come to watch – everyone started talking at once. "What's the plan?" "I want the Monstrous Nightmare!" – And so on.

Hiccup had spent most of the previous evening thinking about where to go from here – finally deciding that they couldn't delay. '_If I try to put this off, it'll be that much more likely that someone will slip up... or Snotlout or the twins may try to bust them out themselves. No... The sooner we start the better_.'

Aloud, Hiccup said, "For the rest of today, just... Do what you'd normally do. Tonight – when everyone else is asleep, we meet at the arena. – Remember, be careful. If anyone finds out, it'll all be over."

"So we're busting them out?" It was Snotlout – of course.

"No." Hiccup's voice was firm. "Tonight, we'll meet them – maybe even pair you up with one of your own. Also, I'll show you a few things that should help us get through dragon- training without arousing suspicion or hurting the dragons." Hiccup glanced around, than continued, "Look... we can't be standing around like this. We have to act like nothing's changed!"

With that, they went their separate ways. Hiccup made his usual stops to the dock, than home. Then he set off into the woods – bound for the cove, and Toothless.

_A half- hour later..._

Hiccup found Astrid waiting at the top of the slope – where she'd been practicing her axe- throwing, the day before last.

"What are you doing here?!" Hiccup couldn't believe that Astrid would've thought to come here – of all the wooded areas on Berk! –– She came here!

Astrid only shrugged, "Why not here? Besides, this is what I usually do in the early- afternoons – and I made sure nobody followed me."

Hiccup nodded – grudgingly, and they set out again.

At first, they walked in silence. Then Astrid noticed that the bundle Hiccup was carrying wasn't the same one as yesterday. When she asked, Hiccup explained that he'd needed to make a few changes to the previous design – which had been his third attempt at a final product.

Astrid was silent for a few minutes, then. When she next spoke, she asked, "What's it like? – Flying?"

Hiccup was silent for a few moments, before saying, "It's... like another world. Everything seems to just... open up – and all of this..." He paused, gesturing at the plants and trees around them. "... It all seems... smaller. It's... it's hard to describe. You need to see it for yourself."

Astrid was silent for a moment, then, "What about Toothless? – Could he... Would he... you know?" She let her sentence drift off, gesturing up at the sky.

Hiccup seemed surprised by her question – but he shrugged, "I... don't see why not."

_Another half- hour later..._

Toothless had eaten, and his new prosthetic tail- fin had been set into place and secured. Finally, Hiccup seated himself in the saddle, and helped Astrid up behind him. Then there was a rush of wind, and they were soaring upwards!

It wasn't long before it became clear that Hiccup's last set of adjustments had done the trick. Time seemed to slow – as Astrid looked first at the clouds around them, and then down. She gasped – finally understanding what Hiccup had told her as they'd walked.

The entire island spread out below them. The island did indeed seem smaller – and the world seemed larger, just as Hiccup had said. Then Hiccup glanced back at her – grinning when he saw her expression. In that moment, Astrid thought back to the previous day – when she'd looked at Hiccup and Toothless, and something about how she saw him – as a person – had shifted... noticeably.

Then – hovering there, Astrid realized what that 'shift' actually was... and what it meant. She wasn't sure what to ... 'do' with this feeling, however. But she knew two things for certain – First: There was much more to Hiccup than met the eye. Second, the boy in front of her was a Viking unlike any the world had seen before.

It was only when they saw how far the sun had traveled that they realized how much time had passed. Reluctantly, Toothless angled back down to the cove – careful to approach from the side of the island where no one lived.

As soon as they touched down, Hiccup gathered the basket from the fish, and unbuckled the prosthetic fin from Toothless's tail – then he and Astrid hurried back to the village.

_**To be continued...**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Dragons and Riders**

It was fully dark by the time Hiccup arrived at the Dragon Arena, to find Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff already waiting. Astrid appeared, a few minutes later – and Fishlegs soon afterwards.

"Finally – Can we start, now?" It was Snotlout – naturally.

Hiccup sighed – they'd barely started and Snotlout was starting to give him a headache. "Yes, but remember – the only times they've seen us before, we're fighting them – so, no sudden movements."

They went inside, and – when, when Hiccup told them to wait there, they did.

Hiccup crossed the rest of the way to the metal grates that kept the captive dragons contained. The Monstrous Nightmare burst into flames the moment it saw him, but Hiccup spoke – calmly and quietly. The others couldn't hear what he said – or see exactly what he was doing, but they saw the dragon relax.

Then Hiccup pulled the lever that would open the gate, and returned to the dragon – placing his right hand just above its snout. Slowly, he backed- up – guiding the dragon back towards the others.

As they had before meeting Toothless, they had left their weapons behind – and, while it made the _dragons_ feel calmer, it was making 'a few' of them nervous. (Hiccup had brought Toothless's prosthetic tail, as well – in case they got around to flying, tonight.)

Hiccup guided the Nightmare to Snotlout, and tried to guide Snotlout's hand to the proper spot. There was a scary moment where Snotlout faltered, and the Nightmare reared back – but Hiccup calmed them both down. – – A moment later, Snotlout was standing – alone, in front of the dragon. As soon as he saw Hiccup walking away, Snotlout called after him, "Wait – Where're you going?"

Hiccup rummaged in a supply bin for a moment, and then returned with armfuls of rope. "If you actually want to fly, you're going to need something to help you hold on."

After Hiccup had gotten Snotlout and the Nightmare settled, Hiccup turned to Astrid, "You next?"

Astrid was nervous, but – knowing she could trust Hiccup, she followed him over to the Deadly Nadder. Sooner than she would have thought possible, Astrid found herself with her hand on the dragon's scaly snout – as the dragon nuzzled her palm. Hiccup grinned, "She likes you."

Astrid was staring at the dragon in front of her – barely noticing as Hiccup helped Fishlegs with the Gronkle, and Ruff and Tuff with the Zippleback. The Deadly Nadder was blue – but not any one shade. The scales were a darker blue where shadows fell, and in a few other places – lighter in others. As the light shifted, it looked like light and dark clouds – moving across the sky.

Just as quickly, Astrid had a name for her dragon. Hiccup had Toothless, and she... she had Stormfly. An instant later, Hiccup's voice jarred her back to her surroundings.

Hiccup was standing in the middle of the group. "Now that you're all acquainted, there're a few other things I should show you..."

For the next half- hour, Hiccup showed them many of the things he'd learned by spending time with Toothless – The secrets behind his success in Dragon Training. They'd seen some of them before, but others that were a complete surprise. (The dragons fear of eels, and the spot that – if scratched, seemed to make every muscle in the dragon relax at once... and more besides.)

Finally, Hiccup said, "We'll have to go back soon, but... who's up for a quick flight – first? We'll swing by the cove and get Toothless, and... Go from there."

He didn't have to ask twice. Within minutes, everyone was on their dragons and soared into the sky – Hiccup caught a lift with Astrid – on Stormfly.

On foot, it would have taken over an hour to reach the cove from the arena. –– The dragons made the journey in twenty minutes. Toothless was more than happy to join them – and... Once Hiccup managed to keep Toothless still long enough to get the tail and saddle on – they rose into the sky, again.

_Twenty minutes later..._

Flying at night took... getting used to. For five of them it was their first time... well... on dragons, flying – and so on. Flying at night was – obviously, a first for all of them.

Then everything changed. Out of the darkness around them, more dragons appeared. First there were a few... then a dozen... then hundreds. Each and every one of them was carrying something – sheep, chickens... even fish.

Finally – Astrid spoke, "Hiccup... What's happening?"

"They're taking in the kill..." Hiccup spoke in a low whisper – in an effort to avoid being heard by their unexpected companions. "Uh... What does that make us?" Fishlegs asked – but nobody answered.

Before long, a huge, craggy mountain appeared in front of them – lines of molten rock flowing down the sides. No one asked what it was... they didn't need to, but Hiccup was the one who voiced the thought... "The dragons' nest..."

The mountain seemed to grow larger, the closer they got. Then it was right in front of them, and then they were flying through a tunnel – which opened into a massive cavern, the walls of which were _literally_ crawling with dragons. The bottom of the chamber was full of a red mist – making it impossible to tell how deep it was, and making the cave look... less than welcoming. The dragons that had joined them midflight flew over the pit, dropping their prey – then joining those on the cavern walls.

Hiccup was the first to speak, "Well, it's satisfying to know that all of our food is being dumped down a hole."

"They're not eating any of it..." Astrid was almost surprised to hear herself speak. Like the others, she was struggling to comprehend what she was seeing.

The last dragon to drop its offering was a Gronkle, once it had; it started to fly away... Then something growled, and the head of a _gigantic_ dragon rose from the pit – with jaws that closed around the Gronkle, before the creature swallowed it whole.

"What is that?" Astrid's voice was little more than a whisper – eyes wide.

The head started to drop back into the mist, than it stopped, sniffing at the air...

"We've got to go!" Hiccup turned to the others, "Fly! Fly! FLY!" Immediately, their dragons shot into the air – towards the nearest exit. –– An instant later, they heard the jaws of the massive dragon snap shut – but swallowing nothing but air. The other dragons shot into the air – desperate to escape the jaws of death. They flew – and they didn't stop, or speak – until they'd returned to the cove.

_Half an hour later, back in the cove..._

"It makes sense now," Hiccup said – at least, breaking the silence. The others only stared at him, "That's why the dragons are raiding us. If they don't bring that... that thing enough food, they get eaten themselves."

"But... what do we do?" Astrid asked – not really expecting an answer. What could they do?

"We have to keep quiet about this... Our dragons... The nest... All of this." Hiccup saw their expressions, and added, "Just until tomorrow. Let me think about this. We still need to be careful how we act." "If we tell my father – anyone – they'll probably kill our dragons and try to attack the nest. Do you think they'd even stand a chance against that thing?"

Finally, the others agreed – they knew he was right.

With the matter settled, Hiccup unbuckled Toothless's tail. But this time, he left it in the cove – with Toothless. He had a feeling that the next time he needed it; he wouldn't have time to stop at home to get it.

Then Hiccup joined Astrid on Stormfly, and they returned to the arena. They stayed there only long enough to return the dragons to their enclosures – and to tell them they'd be back tomorrow night. Then they snuck back to their respective homes, to at least try to get some rest.

_**To be continued...**_


	4. Chapter 4

**The Battle at the Dragons' Nest**

**Part One: The Dragons' Nest**

_Late, the following morning..._

After what the six of them had seen, none of them actually expected to fall asleep. However, the long day had caught- up with them. – Not only did they all fall asleep, they overslept.

It was almost noon by the time they reached the Dragon Arena – expecting it to be crowded. Instead, they found close to a dozen younger children – in the care of six Viking women. Hiccup, Astrid, and the others were noticed as soon as they arrived – and were immediately swarmed by the children, who started asking where they'd been, and if they could watch them train...

Snotlout was the first to speak, "Where is everyone?"

"Didn't you know?" One of the Viking women asked, "They've gone on another expedition. They'd caught a wild- dragon, yesterday afternoon – they're going to use it to find the dragons' nest." Turning to Hiccup, she added, "Gobber said you'd suggested trying it – years ago. After your successes in Dragon Training, they decided to give a shot."

Hiccup slapped a hand to his forehead, "Of course... They practically ignore me for years, and now they decide to use one of my ideas – Wonderful."

Astrid got right to the point, "What do we do?"

Hiccup took a moment to think – then, "You guys go on ahead! – I'll get Toothless, and we'll meet you there!" With that, Hiccup spun around, and ran back the way they'd come.

Astrid and the others bolted into the arena, and opened the enclosures. Ignoring the startled exclamations from above, they readied their dragons, leapt onto their back – and took to the air.

_Earlier that morning..._

Stoick stood at the front of his boat, which sailed at the forefront of the fleet of the Vikings of Berk. Turning, he looked back at the Gronkle – chained to the near the center of the ship. '_Why hasn't anyone else thought of this_?' Stoick had been asking himself this question – over and over, since they'd left Berk. –– All those meetings to discuss strategy, and there'd been no mention of it. Hiccup had never actually attended any of those meetings, but he'd suggested it to Gobber – several times, but it had never been passed along. Stoick felt... guilty – too, '_All any of us ever saw was the 'hiccup' – but he has all the makings of a master- strategist... that is, if he hasn't already become one_.'

Their destination had been visible on the horizon for several hours now, growing larger the closer they got. They'd searched this area before, but they'd never dared to get too close – else they'd risk running into the sharp shards of rock that jutted upwards, just beneath the water.

He'd considered bringing Hiccup along; it was his plan they would use to drive the dragons away – once and for all. However, Hiccup had been gone for all of the previous afternoon – and asleep this morning, when it was time to go. "I'll tell him when we get back – after we've won our greatest victory in history."

They were making good time, too: If the winds held, they would reach the nest just after midday – and make their return Berk by late afternoon. '_It won't be long now..._'

_A few hours later... _

The past hour had been... unnerving. Their ships had had to travel in single file – his ship in the lead, through a dense fog. It was as though the rest of the world had ceased to exist – and time seemed to slow to a crawl. Finally they broke free of the fog, and saw a stretch of beach – a short distance ahead, ending at the base of a cliff that rose high above them. Stoick saw openings in the cliff, and even caught a glimpse of a tail being pulled out of view.

He called his captains together, and told them his plan – using a stick to draw positioning in the wet sand. He finished by saying, "When we crack this mountain open, all hell is going to break lose, but not matter how this ends – it ends today."

While they spoke, the rest of their company was assembling catapults – and Vikings were nothing if not efficient. Before the hour was out, everything was ready. When Stoick gave the signal, they swung into action. –– There were so many boulders in the first volley that a section of wall crumbled away. Next, a torch was thrown through the opening – as it fell, it illuminated the walls on either side. It was a round, deep cavern – the walls of which were crawling with dragons!

Before the Vikings could charge, dragons surged through the opening – but instead of attacking, they shot up into the sky. The dragons were... fleeing? The Vikings behind him started to cheer, but something wasn't right – Stoick could feel it, "THIS ISN'T OVER! FORM YOUR RANKS!"

The warriors started to obey, than something inside the mountain ROARED – a roar too loud to belong to any known species of dragon. When Stoick first glimpsed the creature, his thought the mountain was beginning to collapse – than he saw what it really was, and leapt to one side, "GET CLEAR!"

The host of Vikings scattered – as the side of the cliff exploded outwards.

**Part Two: The Red Death**

Like any respectable commander, Stoick's first thought was of the men under his command. He heard someone shouting to get back to the ships, and quickly countered the command. He was just in time – because a second later, the creature unleashed a blistering river of fire and all but a few of their ships were on fire.

Turning to Gobber, he said, "Take the men to the far side of the island." He gave the order to Gobber, who started to argue – but Stoick overrode him. "I can buy them some time, if I give that thing something to hunt!"

"Then I can double that time."Stoick saw that Gobber wasn't about to back down, so he nodded. They turned to face the monster, but – before they could charge, something else attacked the dragon from behind...

Then five much smaller dragons came into view – with five teenage Vikings sitting on their backs! They talked among themselves for a moment, than wheeled around to attack the dragon from different sides.

The twins, Ruff and Tuff – who were riding the two- headed Zippleback, drew the monster- dragon's fire. Astrid – on the Deadly Nadder, Snotlout – on the Monstrous Nightmare, and Fishlegs – on the Gronkle, worked to keep the monster confused. Snotlout and Fishlegs were banging their weapons on their shields, and trying to stay out of the larger dragon's line- of- sight.

The enemy dragon was only getting angrier, and circumstances weren't improving.

The noise seemed to be getting to be 'getting to' their dragons, as well. After about five minutes, the Gronkle started to lose altitude – when it hit the ground, they heard Fishlegs say, "I'm ok!" Then his dragon rolled on top of him, and he added, "Less ok."

A few minutes later, Snotlout's Nightmare threw him off – leaving him on the giant dragon's head.

By then, Fishlegs and his Gronkle had recovered enough to join the Viking force on the ground – on- foot. People immediately started asking questions, but all they got was, "Long story... We'll tell you later – if we don't die... and we will die if Hiccup doesn't get here soon..."

Before Stoick had the chance to insist on answers now, they heard Astrid's voice say, "They're here!" Then Astrid turned to the twins, and added, "Get Snotlout out of there!" – They did... after arguing about it for a minute.

Astrid swung in behind them, as they swerved away, but then the massive dragon opened its mouth – and a massive current of air started to pull Astrid and her Nadder towards a certain death...

Than a shrieking sound filled the air, and one of the Vikings shouted, "Night Fury!" A wave of fear moved through the army, than a jet- black dragon came into view – arching towards their enemy, and launching a blue plasma- bolt. ––The force of it cut- off the air current that was pulling the Nadder backwards, but it also blasted Astrid off and away from her dragon – and sent her spinning towards the ground, below...

Then the Night Fury came around, and shot back – catching the Viking girl before she hit the ground, and setting her down, near where the rest of them were waiting. –– On the Night Fury's back... sat Hiccup.

Hiccup spared a glance at the assembled Vikings, "Sorry we're late!" Turning to the other Riders and Dragons, he added, "We'll take it from here." The Night Fury growl/roared, and – a second later, they were gone.

As soon as they were in range, the Night Fury shot another blue plasma- bolt at the massive dragon – a bolt powerful enough to knock the other dragon off its feet. Then the beast opened its wings – and took off after Hiccup and his dragon- partner.

Those watching lost track of time. They just stood and watched as the black- dragon and his rider evaded their opponent, and the dragon shot plasma- blasts at the other dragon's massive wings.

Finally, the other dragon lost whatever patience it might have started with. Spinning, it released a unending river of fire – a firestorm that seemed to fill the sky.

Viking and dragon escaped direct harm, but they could see that part of the dragon's tail had caught- fire. Even from where they stood, they could see Hiccup's worried expression – an expression replaced by determination, a second later.

The Night Fury angled downwards – towards and undamaged part of the dragons' nest...

The other dragon followed them, then opened its mouth – and began to release the case it would ignite to breathe fire. Apparrently, this was what Hiccup had been waiting for – they could hear him, even from the ground, "NOW!" –– Immediately, the Night Fury spun- around and shot a plasma- bolt into the other dragon's mouth – igniting the giant's gas, and propelling it back into its owner.

An instant later, the Red Death slammed into the nest – vanishing in a massive explosion. The dragon was gone... but there was no sign of Hiccup and Toothless...

Stoick hurtled towards the cloud of dust – Astrid only a few steps behind him – and the others streaming behind them.

Astrid was beside herself. After her recent realizations – about Hiccup, and her newly discovered feelings towards him... But he was alive... He had to be...

As Stoick ran, it occurred to him that he barely even knew his son. Ever since his son had been born, he'd seen only the 'hiccup' – he'd even named him 'Hiccup'. As he ran, he repeated the same thought over and over, 'He isn't dead. – He can't be dead. – Gods above, it can't end like this!" He barely registered that Astrid was running next to him, muttering, "No – No – No – No!" Distracted as he was, he could tell that she cared about Hiccup – and may even have known the boy better than he did. 'He isn't dead. – He can't be dead...'

_**To be continued...**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Words of the Night Fury**

The air was still thick with dust as Stoick reached the place where the dragons had disappeared, shouting for his son, "HICCUP... HICCUP... SON?"

Then the air in front of him began to clear, and he saw the Night Fury. The dragon lay, awkwardly, on its side – wings folded across its belly. Then Stoick took in the empty saddle – with its broken straps, and the remains of the dragons' prosthetic tail- flap. Stoick fell to his knees, "No... He can't be..."

He could hear the sound of the other Vikings – as they reached him, and took in the scene. Out of the sea of mutters, he heard Astrid say, "No..." He could hear the same combination of dread, and stunned disbelief in her words that he – himself, felt.

A flicker of motion caught Stoick's eye – the Night Fury had shifted, opened its eyes, and lifted its head to look at him. Stoick froze – unsure if the dragon intended to attack, but it simply looked at him.

Then a presence touched Stoick's mind – and, judging by the yelps from behind him, the minds of the other Vikings, as well. Then, from that presence, a voice said, **'It – has – begun.'** The 'voice' was deep, and strong... but also hesitant – as though it was speaking a language it did not fully understand.

The crowd of Vikings stood there for a moment – stunned. Finally, Stoick managed to say, "What... what has begun?"

'**Your son... Hiccup – has – breached – the – divide – between – our – races. Now, I... learn.'** The more the Night Fury spoke, the more... comfortable it seemed to become – with the language of men.

With some effort, Stoick managed to say, "How... How did this...?" His question drifted off.

'**I was the dragon your son caught – in the net he launched, a week ago. I recognized his scent and the sound of his voice – when he found me, where I'd landed. As for 'how' this happened...'** The Night Fury turned to face the five young Vikings – who stood near- by, **'You know. Hiccup told you, a few days ago – when you found out about me, and when he made all you promise to keep my presence a secret. Now tell the rest of them.'**

Astrid already felt miserable about Hiccup's death, but she managed to say, "He said... that he didn't kill you because you looked as scared as he was."

'**I was as scared as he was.'** The dragon had not moved since he'd started talking.** 'At that moment – somehow, we each glimpsed a part of ourselves in the other. He could have killed me, but... he freed me. I rose, and he turned to flee – and I let him go. – A bond had been formed, though I did not know what kind it would be.'** Toothless the Night Fury was silent for a moment. **'I did not truly expect to see him again, but he returned the following afternoon – with fish! He stayed until sunset – only to return the following day – and every day since. On the fourth day, I... tested him – he passed, earning my trust. – It was... the first time in history that one of my kind trusted a human to that degree – or at all.'**

'**The next day, he brought the fish, and... Materials with him – what was to be a replacement for the tail- fin I'd lost – as I fell to earth. It didn't work, at first, but finally – he made this one.'** With what appeared to be sadness, Toothless lifted his tail – showing the Vikings the charred strips of metal. All that remained of the prosthetic tail. **'What happened, then... was meant to happen...' **The dragon's sentence drifted off, as a different thought occurred to him – one he did not see fit to share.

"But... why didn't he tell us? – Why keep this a secret?" Stoick... couldn't understand, though he knew there had to be a reason.

The dragon – who still had yet to move from where he'd landed, snorted. **'Because he feared that you – his own people – would kill me, and ruin any chance of ending our conflict. That dragon – what I believe you would call a 'Red Death' – was the cause. I did not participate in the raids because I could evade her – but those who couldn't had two choices: Feed her with your animals, or Feed her with their own flesh – They made the obvious choice. But now she is dead, and we are ****all**** free of her.'**

"... And the price of it... was my son's life." Stoick's voice was flat... almost dead- sounding.

'**No.'** Toothless said, **'Hiccup paid ****a****price**** – but not with his life.' **As the dragon spoke, he lifted his right wing into the air – away from his body. **'I would not allow that.' **Then Toothless lowered his other wing – revealing an unconscious Hiccup – the dragon's limbs holding the boy to his scaly underbelly.

_**To be continued...**_


	6. Chapter 6

**The Vision and the Sign**

Hiccup was surrounded by blinding light. The last thing he remembered was being knocked from Toothless's saddle, after the dragon's prosthetic tail had burned away – and they'd collided with the other dragon's club- like tail. He remembered falling toward the fireball and Toothless trying to catch him... then he was here – wherever 'here' was.

A terrifying thought occurred to Hiccup, and he asked, "Am I dead?" Though he wasn't sure if he expected – or wanted – that question answered.

But a voice _did_ answer – deep, like Toothless, but... it wasn't Toothless. The dragon 'spoke' by touching the mind of whoever he wanted to talk to – and projecting his words across the link. This voice spoke aloud. It said, **"No, you are not dead – nor are you about to die."**

The light began to fade, and Hiccup was able to catch a glimpse of the figure standing in front of him. To his surprise, he recognized him – from tapestries in the Great Hall, and from Viking legends. But... it couldn't be... "Thor! You're... you're Thor – the God of Thunder!" He knew he should kneel – or bow, but he was too stunned to move.

Thor nodded – fortunately, he seemed to be in a good mood. **"You've passed our test, Hiccup."**

"Sorry... but, what test?" His mind was getting clearer, but he had no inkling as to what 'test' Thor was talking about.

"**It was not of you, specifically – but of the Vikings in general. Since the dragons were born, all mortal men saw them as animals. To be killed for honor and glory – never as potential friends, or allies. And yet by turning an old enemy into a new friend – as you did with the Night Fury – you did what neither of your two races could have done alone. In doing so, you have broken the divide between your races – proven that both may coexist – and proven yourself worthy to Oversee the transition. This will be your purpose for the rest of your mortal life. Once this life ends, you will join us in Asgard – as the First of the Dragon Lords – both you, and Toothless." **Thor grinned, **"Given the past three centuries, many of us this would **_**never**_** come to pass. Yet here you are."**

Hiccup wasn't sure what to say, but he finally settled on, "But... am I really worthy? I mean... I'm a 'hiccup'... I've never been good at – well, anything."

Thor appeared amused by this.** "In some ways, only a 'hiccup' could accomplish this. Give a man a sword, and he will swing it. Give one the strength to strike hard – and hard he will strike. But a 'hiccup' with a clever and open mind, could see the path you have taken. You ask if you are worthy, but you have already proven that you are."**

The light had grown blinding again, so Hiccup could no longer see Thor. He could, however, hear him.

"**When you wake, you will find yourself back on Berk – on the second day following your victory at the nest. Most of what I have just told you, you will have forgotten. You will, however, remember this: 'Your fate is tied with that of the dragons – Make them a part of the world you live in.' Tell your people I told you to do this. I will send a sign that should convince those who would doubt you. Now, wake."**

_Back on Berk..._

When Hiccup awoke, he was in his bed – in his room. Across the room stood Toothless, the Night Fury.

As soon as the dragon saw that Hiccup was awake, he was at his bedside – nudging Hiccup with his head. "Hey, Toothless – Good to see you too, bud."

'**Up. Get up – there's something you need to see.'**

"Ok, ok – I'm getting up." Hiccup swung his legs to the side of his bed... or rather – he tried to. Surprised, he lifted the blanked to look at his leg, and his face fell – the lower part of his left leg was gone. In its place was a metal prosthetic – a fairly simple mechanism, but... it would work. Turning to Toothless, he said, "Well... at least it's not a peg leg."

'**You paid a steep price, Hiccup.'** The dragon said, sniffing the leg as Hiccup set it on the floor.

"Well, I'm alive – thanks to you." Hiccup tried to take a step, but tripped. He would have fallen, but Toothless swung his head around – keeping him upright. "Thanks – again... I hope you're not keeping a count."

'**Oh, I am.'** Hiccup rolled his eyes. Now Toothless was getting a sense of humor – what next?

'Next' he remembered what Thor had said that he would – and he almost lost his footing... again. "I need to talk to the others. They'll never believe what just happened."

'**You're about to step outside, supported by a Night Fury – and you're worried people won't believe what you **_**say**_**?' **Toothless had a point, and Hiccup knew it.

When they made it outside, Hiccup was noticed almost immediately, and a crowd started to gather. The first person to Hiccup's side was the Stoick – Hiccup's father. "Hiccup... I'm sorry... for... for everything."

"Thanks, dad..." Then Hiccup noticed took in the scene around them. "... Am I hallucinating, or... is Berk full of dragons?"

"It is," Stoick confirmed. "We're starting to make our peace with the dragons. – Letting them come to Berk seemed like a good start."

"And... I'm guessing Gobber made my... new foot?"

"That I did," agreed Gobber – who'd just pushed his way to the front of the crowd. "What do you think of it?"

"I might make a few tweaks." Hiccup's comment was followed by a round of chuckles – he _was_ known for 'making a few tweaks' to his various contraptions – though not always with the intended results.

An instant later, there was a sudden pain in his right arm – and Astrid was standing next to him, "That's for scaring me." Before Hiccup could respond, the kissed him – in front of everyone, and on the lips.

Hiccup was stunned, for a moment, and then he managed to say, "I could get used to it."

Then Toothless joined the discussion, **'From what you said inside, Hiccup, something... significant happened while you were unconscious. Something you needed to tell them about.'**

That piqued everyone's interest, and a moment later, everyone was silent.

"I had a... a vision," Hiccup said – feeling a little awkward. "I was... talking with Thor. Well... listening, actually – he did more of the talking. He'd said I'd passed some kind of test – that my fate was tied to the dragons." He told them everything he could remember, and finished with, "There was more... but I can't remember the rest of it. Thor said he'd send some kind of sign..."

Mildew pushed his way forward, to the front of the crowd. "That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Live with dragons? Cooperate with those animals? NEVER! You want a sign, boy, here's a sign!" With that, Mildew yanked a small hatchet out from his belt, and hurled it at Toothless.

Before the spinning hatchet had covered half the distance to Toothless, a bolt of lightning crackled from a clear blue sky, and hit the spinning weapon – wood and steel dissolved in an instant. Then it was gone... leaving a sprinkle of ashes in the air, and a black patch of earth.

There was a moment of silence, then Gobber spoke, "Well, that's good enough for me." – Nobody argued.

'**This is not a complete surprise to me,'** Toothless admitted. **'We dragons to not 'worship' gods as you do – but we do acknowledge their existence, in our own way. My kind has known for some time that such an event might occur. Some were against it – a few may not accept it – but it is meant to be. If we continue to fight as we have, we may destroy each other – that would be... unacceptable. **

**Keep this in mind, though: while I have learned much of your kind, my race has not – nor do they have the same grasp of your language. Those other dragons with riders will soon begin to learn. Those without will do so more slowly. I expect you all to be... accommodating. It will take time, and there will be trials ahead. But for now – with Hiccup recovered – I would like to try the new-tail-fin, if I may.'** Toothless looked pointedly at Gobber, who did – in fact, hold a new prosthetic tail – to replace the one that had been destroyed.

Gobber handed the new gear to Toothless, and – a few minutes later, the Night Fury and his rider shot upwards – followed by the other dragons, with their riders on their backs.

A new age had begun, and everyone knew it.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Dawn of a New Age: Complications & A Solution **

Some may believe that the dawning of a new age means an end to all the problems that existed in life, in the days preceding it. When the biggest change is dragons attempting to become part of a society, you know there are going to be... well, 'complications'.

At first, everything was going smoothly. There was the occasional minor mishap – but the kind of things you'd shrug off, and go back to what you were doing before. At least... the first few times it happened – then 'a few' tempers would start to wear a little thin.

During that week, the a group of five young Vikings – Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut – had gotten to be closer to their respective dragons then they'd previously thought they'd get to any dragon. At least... without swinging any weapons or bellowing battle cries. The sixth member of their 'clique' was Hiccup – the son of Chief Stoick, and the first Viking to ever ride a dragon. His dragon was Toothless – a Night Fury, and the first dragon to 'learn'. (Eventually, the other dragons would start 'learning', as well – but so far, it was only Toothless.)

On the seventh day, the First Riders got together, ready for their first 'Best Trick Competition.'

"We're first," Snotlout declared. "And Hookfang and I, are going to light the sky on fir-r-r-r-e-." Without any prompting, Hookfang plunged off the cliff. Even from where they stood, they could hear Snotlout shouting – not even stopping when Hookfang shot into or out of the ocean. The last scraps of his dignity were lost as Hookfang returned to the others, "I'm alive? I'M ALIVE! Uh – I mean... of course I am."

Nobody was impressed.

Then Ruff and Tuff started arguing about who was next, and continued to until Hiccup said, "Uh – guys, same dragon." The twins finally remembered this... rather important piece of information, and went. It was... _eventful_ – and completely uncoordinated. Again – nobody was impressed.

Fishlegs and Meatlug were next. They flew in a circle, returning to where they'd started from. "That was great – a new personal best!" (Full points for enthusiasm, but... that wasn't going to cut it.)

It was Astrid's turn, next. Before Stormfly took to the air, Astrid turned to Hiccup, "You might want to take notes." Astrid's run was far better than the previous rounds. As they returned to the cliff top, Snotlout said, "Oh, sure – but can you do it without the dragon?" Astrid looked ready to throw Snotlout _off_ the cliff, but Hiccup said, "The rest of us need our dragons for this stuff, Snotlout – but we know you can drown yourself and self-inflict head injuries just as well as you did just now, _with_ Hookfang."

Astrid smirked, Fishlegs snored – and woke up, and the jibe went right over the heads of Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff.

"Well," Hiccup said, "Look's like we've got our work cut out for us – hey, bud?"

'**You're being generous,'** Toothless's voice sounded in Hiccup's mind. **'So... start with a 'jackknife', then the 'wave- rider', some free- style, and finish with a 'ledge- walker'?'** "Let's go, bud," and with that, Toothless shot forward, and down – towards the water. As they fell, they built up speed – speed that Toothless transferred into forward momentum, as they pulled up short of the water. The result was a wave of water that shot up to both sides, until Toothless pulled up from the water. Next was the free- style – they wove around and between rocks, making their way towards their finale. Ahead of them rose two columns of stone, which met at the top to form a ledge. At just the right moment, Hiccup jumped free of his saddle – running across the ledge even as Toothless flew underneath. Then Hiccup leapt over the edge, and back onto Toothless. –– It was a trick that only the speed and endurance of Toothless, the Night Fury allowed them to pull off.

Even from where they hovered, they could hear the others' exclamations. "Well... it looks like we win."

'**Naturally,'** Then Toothless shot three plasma bolts into the sky ahead of them – three quick bursts of blue light lit up the sky, as the bolts reached the limit of their range. – Hiccup grinned.

_Later - Back in the village..._

When Hiccup and the others returned to Berk, it was to find that things were not going well. Dragons – none of whom had Riders or any understanding of life in Berk – were wolfing down the days catch of fish, and... Pretty much doing everything they shouldn't be. Fortunately, nothing had been set on fire... at least – not yet.

Then a bell tolled three times, and a flock of dragons appeared – flying directly over Berk. "Of course..." Hiccup sighed. "It's three o'clock."

For the next five minutes, everyone in the village square was running left and right – trying to avoid the shower of dragon dung. Most of them made it through ok, but a few... left, grumbling – to get a bath and a change of clothes.

Then Hiccup had one of his famous/ infamous – depending how you looked at it – brainwaves. "I just thought of something. It's going to take time for the 'wild' dragons to 'Learn' how things work in Berk, but – in the meantime, the dragons are going to do what they're going to do. It's their nature... but what if we found ways to use it?"

Even Toothless looked perplexed. 'Speaking' so they could all hear, the Night Fury said, **"What – exactly – do you have in mind?"**

"Well..." Hiccup turned to Astrid, "That trick you used? – having Stormfly clip the water with her tail? If a half- dozen Deadly Nadders did the same thing across a farmer's field – they'd get it plowed in less than an hour! – Right now it takes _days_. Move this," Hiccup pointed to a pile of the dragon dung, "over the fields, and its fertilizer. Snotlout – Hookfang took you underwater during your turn, he could scare fish to the surface – that could _at least_ double what the fishermen bring in every day, not to mention it wouldn't take as long!"

Toothless seemed to like the idea, **"This could work... this could work **_**very**_** nicely."** Even Hiccup's friends were looking impressed, now.

"And there's another advantage: if they're helping us – gathering food, and so on – they won't be causing trouble. They'll have time to learn without destroying Berk, or... anything else. " Hiccup couldn't believe it had taken him this long to come up with this idea. "We need to talk to my dad – there's a lot of work to do, for this to work."

Once they'd left, Mildew appeared from behind the barn – where he'd been eavesdropping. "Blast! If they get the dragons organized, I'll never be rid of them! I've got to think of _something_ to get rid of those _animals_..." Muttering darkly, he trudged off.

_Soon..._

Hiccup and the others had just finished explaining his idea for the dragons, to Chief Stoick.

"An interesting idea," Stoick commented. "It's defiantly worth a try."

"I was thinking we'd do Mildew's field, first." Hiccup said, "I mean... can you imagine the look on Mildew's face when he sees dragons plowing his fields?" That set off a round of chuckles.

"Very well," Stoick agreed. "Mildew's it is. – It'll be worth listening to him gripe to see the look on his face!"

_The following morning – Mildew's Fields..._

Mildew's dislike of dragons is obvious, and well known. He'd rant about them in the evenings, and pick up where he left off – the following morning. Having overheard Hiccup's plan to have the dragons assist the Vikings with their daily labour – cementing their place as a part of life on Berk – he had that much more to grumble about, and was that much later getting to sleep.

By the time he awoke, it was early afternoon. With a full day's work ahead, and having had to postpone his morning rant, Mildew was in a sour mood – even for him. He'd barely started when a sound caught his attention. He turned, and then leapt back. A dragon shot past, and he heard a voice say, "Afternoon, Mildew."

"Wha?" was all Mildew could manage – he hadn't even seen Astrid, sitting on her Nadder's back. Then another dragon shot past – but _that one_ he recognized.

"Three o'clock – Time for the fertilizer." It was Hiccup, sitting on Toothless's back.

Mildew had just finished coughing from the dust cloud Toothless's passing had stirred up, so all he could manage was, "Huh?" Turning, he saw a flock of dragons – heading in his direction. '_Of course – it's the dragons. It's __always__ the dragons.'_

That was when the 'fertilizer' started to fall. Good news: most of it landed on the field. Bad news: the one chunk that didn't... found Mildew's head. {_Splat__}_

Trying not to laugh, Hiccup called down, "Smile, Mildew – we just saved you three months of work!" Then, in a quieter voice, Hiccup said, "One piece... We can mark that down as an accident, right?"

Toothless had been watching the dragons. **"An accident... Yeah – Let's go with that."**

Hiccup followed Toothless's gaze, and saw that one of the dragons – a rider- less Nightmare – was looking back, and appeared to besmirking. "Oh boy... we're going to hear about this later."

'**I hope I'm there to see it – it should be fun to watch."** Toothless didn't seem to care.** "Last time his face turned almost as red as the shield on the wall next to him."**

Hiccup rolled his eyes, and – motioning to Astrid and Stormfly, started to fly in the direction of the village.

_A few hours later..._

Several hours later, Mildew stormed into the Great Hall – where a number of other Vikings were gathered. The man's face was red – though not quite as red as the shield Toothless had mentioned. The dragon 'fertilizer' was still where it had fallen, though some had slid onto each shoulder.

The mood in the hall was festive – the successful introduction of Hiccup's plans the main topic of discussion. The six Viking teens were seated at a table near the head of the hall, while nearby their dragons wolfed down a share of the massive catch of fish Hookfang had scared into the fishermen's nets. (Everyone had also heard about what had happened to Mildew – though they all agreed that he'd had it coming.)

After nearly a half- hour of "blasted dragons... nearly crushed... dragon **** all over me..." Stoick said, "Mildew – We know you don't like the dragons, but they're part of Berk, now. As far as I'm concerned it was an accident. Unless you get buried in dragon **** in the future, I don't want to hear another word about it."

Hearing that, Mildew's face finally did achieve the shade of red that Toothless had hoped to see. Then he turned, and stormed out of the hall – to roars of laughter.

"I'll get those dragons, yet." Mildew muttered, as the doors closed behind him – though no one heard.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Treasure of Hamish the Second**

**Part One: A Map & Two Riddles**

Hiccup, Astrid, Ruff, Tuff, Snotlout, and Fishlegs stood in the Great Hall. Along the wall in front of them, hung a row of paintings – each of which depicted a previous chief of Berk, and his son. Hiccup and his father had just stood for theirs the previous day – and it would join the others on the wall any minute now. Hiccup was both excited and nervous – this was a BIG deal, and he was... well, he wasn't like the sons in the other paintings.

The significance of this was lost on Ruff, Tuff, and Snotlout – who was joking about the paintings depicting a "history of goofballs." An instant later, Snotlout tripped and fall backwards – knocking one of the paintings off the wall. As it hit the floor, a sheet of paper landed next to it.

Snotlout picked it up, only to have it snatched out of his hands by Gobber – the village blacksmith. "All of these were supposed to be destroyed." He saw their expressions, and continued, "Supposedly, this map leads to the lost treasure of Hamish the First. It starts with a given location, and a riddle. Solve the riddle, go to the next location. Men have lost their limbs, their lives, and their minds trying to find it. Stoic and I tried... we barely returned with our lives – and our friendship – intact. No... Best to pretend you never saw this."

Less than an hour later, the painting of Hiccup and his father were unveiled. Hiccup looked at it, and he could feel his face fall. The painting depicted Stoick – Hiccup's father – accurately enough, but the Hiccup in the painting was taller, and more muscular. It wasn't _him_. Both Astrid and Ruffnut appeared... 'favorably impressed', though Astrid hid her reactions once she saw the look on Hiccup's face. A second later, Hiccup – too – concealed his reaction behind a calm look.

A moment later, Hiccup turned and walked toward the opposite end of the hall – followed by his friends. He stopped in front of Gobber, and – without preamble, said, "Give me the map." The others were stunned.

Gobber tried to dissuade Hiccup, but the latter would not relent. Finally, Gobber said, "Fine – I'll humor you – _on two conditions_. One, you won't run off as soon as you have the map. Second, when you get to a riddle you can't solve – you'll return the map and forget about this treasure hunt. Give me your word."

Hiccup agreed, and Gobber produced the scroll. Hiccup unrolled it, and read aloud, "'Where the land meets the sea, in the crook of the Master's knee, that's where your search will be- gin.'" An instant later, Hiccup grinned. "The portrait this was hidden behind. The father's knee pointed to that spot on the beach. That's where we start."

Grudgingly, Gobber nodded. "That was as far as Stoick and I got. The next clue did it for us."

Hiccup returned his gaze to the map. "'From here you will see the sea that's been sown. Look to where water turns to bone."

Snotlout broke in, "'Water turns to bone'? Hamish wasn't even trying to make sense."

Hiccup shot him an irritated look. "'Water turns to bone'... 'Water turns to bone...'" Then he whistled. "Gods... Hamish the Second was a _genius_." He turned to see the others staring at him. "Wha... wait... you don't get it?"

"Hiccup," Astrid to say – then Snotlout interrupted, "What's to get? It's doesn't make any sense."

Hiccup sighed. "'Water turns to bone'. A liquid – water, turns into a solid – like bone." He waited a moment, but nobody spoke or moved. Hiccup heaved another sigh, and said, "It means 'ice'. Look to where the liquid – water, becomes a solid – ice. It's the glacier."

Turning to Gobber, Hiccup said, "Thanks for the map. We're off to the glacier."

"Oh, no you're not! You gave your word..." Gobber sputtered.

Hiccup cut him off, "I promised that we wouldn't run off – we didn't. I promised that we'd come back and return the map _if we came to a riddle that we couldn't solve_ – we will. Until then – Thanks for the map." Turning, Hiccup walked out of the Great Hall – his friends running to catch up.

As soon as the doors had closed behind them, Gobber dropped back to his chair, "Oh, Thor... Stoick's going to kill me..."

**Part Two: The First Key & the Third Riddle**

As Astrid and the others hurried after Hiccup, she was still struggling to understand what had just happened. '_In only a few minutes, Hiccup had solved two riddles. True, he hadn't been the only one to figure the first one out, but the second? The second one had stopped treasure hunters cold for generations. _Then _Hiccup had slipped through the loophole he'd left himself, in the promise he'd made to Gobber... Could they – Could __he__ – really find the treasure that so many others had failed to_?'

They had reached the dragons. Seeing them, Toothless got to his feet – about to ask what was going on, but Hiccup pre-empted him by saying, "Let's go – I'll explain on the way."

_Soon, at the glacier..._

As they dragons drew nearer to the glacier, they noticed a wide opening – an entrance to an ice cave, more than big enough for even the largest of their dragons to fly or walk inside.

A short ways down the passage, Astrid stopped – pointing at the ice in front of her. "There's something in there."

"I bet that guy saw it, too," commented Fishlegs – pointing to a Viking frozen, near the piece.

Hiccup had unrolled the scroll, "'Call on Magni, you'll go astray. Freya, though will show the way." Before Hiccup could speak, Snotlout said, "Got it." He knelt on the ice, and started bashing his helmeted head on the floor.

Hiccup yanked Snotlout aside an instant before a spiked pole swung directly through the place where the latter had been kneeling. "We can't break the ice. That's what Magni means – he's the god of strength. But Freya – Freya is the goddess of fire. That's what we use." Hiccup turned, and called to Toothless. When the Night Fury reached him, Hiccup said, "Light it up."

As soon as Hiccup had removed the piece of metal, the glacier shuddered. Immediately, the young Vikings jumped back onto their dragons, and – again, took to the air.

_Meanwhile, in the (almost empty) Great Hall of Berk..._

"You had the map, and you... gave it back?" Stoick would've been outraged, but it was largely overshadowed by concern for the young treasure- hunters, and disbelief that _anyone_ could be as stunned as Gobber had been. (At the same time, he couldn't help but be impressed by how Hiccup had slipped through – without actually 'breaking' – either of the promises he'd made to Gobber._)_

"I know, I'm an idiot," Gobber admitted. "I thought you and I could take another crack at finding that treasure!" Seeing the look on Stoick's face, he continued, "We turned back too early! So we lost a couple of toes. Besides... you should've seen how quickly Hiccup solved the first two riddles! The first one took us a week to solve – he barely needed to think about it! And the second one..."

"GOBBER!" Stoick cut him off. "We've got to find them before they get themselves killed. Why would Hiccup do something like this?"

Gobber sighed, "Stoick... it's the painting." Stoick looked first at Gobber, then at the painting. Then he groaned, "Of course... he's trying to prove himself. But we've got to find them. Now!"

_Not far from the glacier..._

The dragons settled on a cliff top, not far from the glacier – watching as part of it crumbled into the sea. Chunks of ice landed with a series of splashes, then bobbing back to the surface.

Hiccup was deep in thought. A part of him still couldn't believe that he was actually on this treasure hunt – so many had failed, and he was... well, a 'hiccup'. Maybe – just maybe – this journey help him to find a way to except, and live with, that fact. Everything seemed to be working so far. Hiccup didn't know how – or why, but the answers to the riddles just... seemed to come to him. It was as if...

Shaking away the thought, Hiccup unrolled the map – and found his place, eager to see what else this map had for them.

**Part Three: The Second Key & the Fourth Riddle**

"'At the edge of the world, amidst the raging sea, in the serpent's mouth – lies another key.'"

Tuffnut was the first to speak, "Serpents. I hate serpents... those are reptiles, right?" Nobody spoke for a moment – even Snotlout knew the answer to _that_ question.

Finally, Ruffnut said, "You _do_ realize you're _sitting on one_, right?" (Apparently, he didn't.)

Snotlout spoke next, "Hey, that cloud looks like a snake."

Astrid who pointed out the obvious flaw in that line of thought, "Yeah – and in five minutes it'll look like a bunny."

Then Hiccup – who'd been pondering the riddle, spoke up. "Actually – for once, Snotlout may be on to something." A nearby island had caught his eye. From where they stood, it did in fact look like a huge stone serpent – rising up from the water.

"See," Snotlout was saying, "For once I – HEY!" Before Snotlout could say more, Hiccup pointed out the island.

'**Flying in those winds wouldn't be safe for most of us.' **Toothless commented, **'I don't like it, but Meatlug would do best there – of those of us here, Gronkles have the smallest wingspan.'** Turning to Hiccup, he added, **'Be careful. Treasure is useless if you don't live long enough to spend any of it.'**

A few minutes later, Fishlegs, Meatlug and Hiccup – the latter clutching one end of a rope, were flying toward the serpent- shaped island.

_Back at the beach..._

By now, Stoick and Gobber had made it to the beach, and were staring at the chunks of ice that had fallen into the bay – as well as the smaller shards that continued to fall. Gobber bent to examine the beach. "Night Fury prints. They were here..." He paused to sniff some of the dirt. "... About an hour ago."

"I'll never understand how you do that." The whole idea seemed ridiculous to Stoick, but... Gobber had been right before. "What does an hour ago smell like, Gobber?"

"Not as strong as a half- hour ago." Gobber said – staring at the ice in the bay. "So the first key was in the glacier! I knew it!"

"Oh – you knew it did you? Then how come we spent two weeks, digging in the sand?"

"That was your idea!"

"... That's not important now. We've got to find out where they went _next_. We need to search from the air – let's get to Thornado."

_Shortly... _

It had taken a few passes – but Fishlegs, Meatlug, and Hiccup were soon making their way back to the cliff where the others were waiting. Their reward was another chunk of metal – similar to the first.

Hiccup unrolled the map to read the next clue, and noticed that something was different.

The next few lines on the map were not written in the form of a riddle. It gave clear instructions to a particular mountaintop. Not fully sure what this might mean, the five young Vikings remounted their dragons. This time, they elected to travel on foot – to give Meatlug's wings a rest.

As they walked, Hiccup thought to himself that, '_This must've been the clue that sent dad and Gobber up into the mountains – during that snowstorm Gobber mentioned. They couldn't get through the riddles, so they tried the direct approach... the Viking approach..._' There was something else behind this treasure hunt – that, he knew – but what was it?

**Part Four: The Cave & the Choice**

As they walked, a feeling of excitement grew – a feeling of impending glory. They had – in a single afternoon – exceeded every attempt made to find the treasure of Hamish the First. Failure now seemed inconceivable.

As they walked, they started asking each other what they were going to do with their share of the treasure. Astrid paid no attention to what Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff, and Fishlegs said. When asked, she said only that she hadn't decided yet. Then the question was posed to Hiccup...

"I'm not sure what I'll do with my share," Hiccup had said, "but I'm not really here for the treasure."

Astrid considered that for a moment, and realized something. '_The painting... He feels like he's a disappointment. Despite everything he's done – he feels like it's not enough. All those years of years of being shunned..._' She wanted to say... something, but all she think of was, "You know... you – you don't have to do this, right?"

"Yeah, try telling that to my dad," as Hiccup spoke, Astrid saw that his expression was a look of sad acceptance – a look that only confirmed what she'd been thinking. She nodded – understanding, but none the happier for it.

"This must be the place," Hiccup said, as he unrolled the map."Well, I've got another one for you. 'The world is right, when stars align. When not in sync, the danger you'll find.'"

Immediately, Snotlout said, "Stars? I'm not waiting around here till night."

"I don't think he means actual stars. I mean, the water didn't actually turn to bone."

"Well, what do you think it means, Hiccup?" Astrid chimed in.

"Why are you asking him? Maybe I know," Snotlout – again. Astrid and Hiccup turned to stare at him. "I said 'maybe'. Turns out, I don't."

Speaking softly, so that only Astrid would hear, Hiccup said, "It's sad, but that's probably as close as he'll ever get to a clever comment." (Astrid barely suppressed her laughter.)

Fortunately, Fishlegs – who'd dismounted, and approached the wall, said, "There're shapes carved onto every one of these stones."

Glad for the distraction, Hiccup also approached the doors. "Ok, keep a lookout for anything that looks like a star."

Snotlout found the first star- marked brick – and immediately pulled it half way out of its spot in the wall. Small rocks began to fall, spurring Snotlout to shout for Hookfang – who pushed the rock back into place.

Hiccup looked back at the map. "Ok, it says 'in sync'... that means there must be another star." Even before he'd finished, Astrid was scanning the wall – and... "Found it!"

"I think we're supposed to pull them out at the same time." Hiccup turned to the others. "Ruff, Tuff..."

The twins directed their two- headed dragon up to the wall, pointed to the bricks – and mimed a pulling motion. The creature approached the wall, as eased the bricks out – in perfect sync. The wall split in two, each of the halves sliding into the wall on either side.

After a moment of hesitation, they stepped inside. But as soon as the last foot of dragon tail had slid inside, the doors resealed. Now, there was no choice but to go forward.

_Meanwhile, in the village of Berk..._

It was taking, what seemed to Stoick, to be an unreasonable amount of time to reach his home – where Thornado waited. People kept approaching him with petitions, and – even though all he was doing was arranging times to meet and discuss them, it was taking longer than he'd like.

"Hiccup will be fine," Gobber assured him. But Stoick could only think of his and Gobber's attempt to complete this quest, and what it had cost them...

_In the hidden cave..._

After the entrance had sealed, the young treasure- hunters had followed the passage. Finally, it emptied into a large circular room. It was dark, so Hiccup asked Toothless to give them some light. The resulting illumination revealed that the floor of the chamber was covered in – what Fishlegs identified as "Fireworm dragons!"

In the middle of the room was a round depression in the floor, in which a number of pedestals stood in a circle – each with a metal piece. They all resembled the first two keys, but they were made of different metals. A few blue bolts cleared the depression of fireworm- dragons, though the now angry dragons blazed to life – raising the temperature in the room with every minute.

"Grab them, and let's go!" Snotlout called to Hiccup, who had stepped into the depression.

"No – it's a choice. Listen to this, 'Something pure, something strong. Look first to yourself, and you won't go wrong." The others started shouting advice to him, though one piece had already caught his eye. One that – regardless of where else he looked, continued to draw his gaze back to it. Hiccup approached the pedestal, and picked up the piece.

At first, nothing happened, and then a rumbling shook the room – and the fireworm- dragons retreated from the depression. Hiccup and Toothless hurried to the edge, and Astrid grabbed Hiccup's hand to pull him to safety. Just then, the floor gave way – Hiccup, Toothless, and Astrid fell into the widening pit.

As she fell, Astrid shouted to Stormfly to get out, and had a fleeting glimpse of their friends escaping through a hole in the roof. In the instant before she lost sight of them, she felt a presence touch her mind, and a voice said, **'Be – care–ful, As–trid.' **It spoke haltingly – like Toothless had, at first – but this voice sounded female. Somehow, Astrid knew that it was Stormfly.

It was a hard landing, but they were unhurt. Once again, Toothless shot a plasma bolt at a cluster of stones. Then, with the help of the resulting illumination – they began to explore their surroundings.

After a minute, Astrid said, "Stormfly spoke to me... as we were falling. She said to be careful."

Hiccup looked surprised, but Toothless turned to Astrid, **'You and Stormfly spend much of your time together, and you were among the first to except my kind as friends. I expected that dragons **_**with**_** human partners would learn faster than others. It would seem I was correct.'** The smugness in Toothless's 'voice' made Hiccup and Astrid roll their eyes, and go back to exploring the chamber around them.

**Part Five: The Treasure of Hamish the Second**

The dragons and Vikings who'd made it out set down on a flat shelf of stone – just outside the whole they'd exited through. As soon as the sounds of falling rock had ceased, they began to dig through the rubble. Everyone was worried, but Fishlegs was frantic. "Oh, Thor – We've got to find them... We have got to find them..."

"Find _who_, exactly?" It was Stoick and Gobber – both of whom had just gotten off of Thornado's back. Nobody answered – they didn't need to. Stoick knew in an instant. Without another word, he and Gobber joined in the others in clearing away the rubble – and hoping it wasn't too late.

_Somewhere below them..._

Ten minutes had passed, and they'd found no sign of an exit. Desperate, Astrid was about to start a third pass of the room – when she noticed that Hiccup and Toothless were no longer with her. Looking around, she saw Hiccup crouching in the middle of the room, examining a patch of the floor.

She made her way over, just in time to hear him say, "I wonder..."

Before Astrid could ask for an explanation, Hiccup pulled out the three 'keys' they'd found. He fitted them together, and slid them into a circle cut into the floor – it was a perfect fit. Cautiously, Hiccup turned the key to the right. Immediately, a door – one neither of them had noticed, before – slid open, on the other side of the chamber.

Hiccup started to walk towards it, but neither followed. Turning back to them, Hiccup said, "We've come this far." This was true, so Astrid and Toothless joined Hiccup, and made their way down the passageway.

They reached the other end, and stood for a moment – stunned. The room in front of them was full of gold! There were dozens of gold statues – some small, others larger than either of them. Many of the smaller ones stood on wooden chests – Hiccup tried to count, but it was too much to take in.

Then they saw the pedestal. It stood just in front of them, and it held only a scroll – held in place by a round band of stone. Hiccup carefully removed it, and – seeing the writing on it, began to read it aloud. "'This treasure was passed from father to son, I leave it to you – the next worthy one. For only a 'hiccup' could've made it this far – From one to another, be proud of what you are."

Astrid, who had come forward to join Hiccup, spoke – into the silence. "'From one to another...?"

Wordlessly, Hiccup unrolled the scroll – holding it so that Astrid could see. It was a picture – like those in the Great Hall – only this was on paper, not painted on wood. The picture depicted Amish the First – just as he was on the 'official' version, but the son...

"Hamish the Second was a 'hiccup' – like me." The feeling that had been bothering Hiccup since they'd set out... it made sense. "He knew only another one of us could find this place. I guess... being a 'hiccup' isn't such a bad thing, after all. Look at all this stuff!"

Astrid was deep in her own thoughts. '_We found it... we found the treasure of Hamish the first_!' For Hiccup, she knew, it was more than a treasure. He was no longer alone – no longer the only 'hiccup' in his family tree. A 'hiccup' had hidden this treasure – and only another one could find it.

Both of them were jolted back to reality by the sound of stone shifting. The pedestal where Hiccup had gotten the scroll was sinking into the floor, and two more were rising up – on opposite sides of the first. On one was a feather; on the other was a war- hammer. Between them – behind where the first had been – was another riddle, carved into the floor.

"Wow, Hamish Two really loved pedestals... and apparently riddles. Let's see... 'In between the body and mind, a choice must be made of what you'll find. At this moment, you must look to yourself – for only one path will bring you true wealth."

"I've had it with these riddles!" Astrid fumed, "Let's just find a weak part of wall, and use the hammer to break through." As she spoke, she started to move towards the hammer.

"No!" Hiccup grabbed her arm, stopping her. "This is Hamish's safeguard. He wanted a 'hiccup' – and _only_ a 'hiccup' – to claim his treasure. Any _other_ Viking would go for the hammer, but I wouldn't be able to use it. It's a trap." Moving to the other pedestal, he picked up the feather – then lead Astrid and Toothless into the middle of the room, to a space in the middle of the statues and chests.

A moment later, columns began to crack – and stones began to fall from the ceiling. But nothing landed anywhere near where they stood. Then the floor under their feet began to rise towards the ceiling, which began to slide open – allowing a shaft of sunlight to fall on the gold that had lain in that dark room for generations.

_Meanwhile, at the surface..._

They were tiring – and they were making little visible headway. For every stone they moved, there seemed to be another ten more that needed to be cleared. None of them knew exactly how much time had passed, but all of them were aware of the seconds slipping by.

Then a tremor moved through the earth beneath them. Turning, they saw stones lifting – forming a round opening in the shelf behind them. A moment later, Hiccup and Astrid standing on a stone floor that was slowly lifting them back to the surface – and they were surrounded by treasure!

"Oh – Hi, dad," Hiccup said – as though it was perfectly normal for a father to see his son rising from the bowels of the earth on a stone elevator, surrounded by a small mountain of gold, and holding an ancient looking scroll. "You'll never guess what we found." Stoick was stunned – as though Hiccup had just announced that he intended to take up tap-dancing. A moment later, however, he and those with him were rushing towards where Astrid, Hiccup, and Toothless stood – in the middle of the once- lost treasure.

It took some explaining, but – at long last, Hiccup read the message on the outside of his scroll, and showed them the picture. After hearing that Hamish had – in effect, _left the treasure to Hiccup_, they decided that he should get the larger portion. That being said – it took each of the others several trips to lug their more 'modest' shares back home. Then the lot of them had to make several trips to get Hiccup's share to the Great Hall – where it would be kept in a locked storeroom. (The room was empty, secure, and it was the only available place that was big enough to hold all of it.)

Hiccup was still awed by the very sight of it all. But for him, the greatest treasure was the scroll he'd found buried with it – and the new, more accurate portrait – that now hung in the Great Hall of Berk.


	9. Chapter 9

**Snoggletog**

**Part One: Where Have All Our Dragons Gone?**

The village of Berk was bustling. Vikings of all ages were running about in all directions – putting up decorations, and making general preparations for the coming holiday. The holiday, if you're wondering, was 'Snoggletog' – their... only yearly holiday, if truth be told. _This_ Snoggletog was particularly important, as it would be the first one to be celebrated with dragons. Everyone was talking about how it was going to be the best Snoggletog _ever_.

Then it happened.

Stoick had just finished congratulating the people on their work, when they heard noise from above them. Looking up, they saw a _massive_ flock of dragons flying overhead. Immediately, all of _their_ dragons started acting oddly – suddenly becoming restless. A few jumped onto the roofs of houses – roaring at the sky. Then they began to take off – rising into the swarm.

At first Astrid watched with the other villagers, then a thought occurred to her, "Where's Hiccup?" No one seemed to know, but she heard others taking up the question. Then a sound behind her made her turn, "No, no, no – don't leave Stormfly! Don't go! Please..." But the blue Deadly Nadder rose... higher, and higher – finally joining the swarm passing above. She'd hoped that Stormfly might 'say' something... to explain – but... nothing. (Stormfly had only 'spoken' on a few occasions – the new language was still hard for her – but... still...) Almost all of the dragons had taken flight, by now. Fishlegs had run off to find Meatlug, but everyone else was gathering – trying to find out what was happening.

Then she saw Hiccup and Toothless, descending towards the village – sometimes having to dart to one side to avoid colliding with another dragon. Relieved, she hurried forward – closely followed by over half the inhabitants of Berk. "Hiccup – what's going on? Where are they going?"

Before he could speak, he was mobbed by the other villagers. "Why did they leave?" "What's happening?" "What if they never come back?" Finally Stoick arrived, silenced the crowd, and then turned to Hiccup, "Hiccup, where've all of our dragons gone?"

Hiccup shook his head, "I... I don't know." He felt the mood around him drop, so he added, "But I know who will." Turning, he called, "Toothless, can you help us out, bud?"

Toothless had rejoined Hiccup, and now all eyes turned to him. A moment later, they all felt the touch of his mind, and the Night Fury said, **'Every three years, the members of my race gather on... **_**another**_** island – as part of a yearly migration. The duration may vary, but during that time, the females lay their eggs – and we raise our young.'**

There was a chorus of exclamations. Finally, Stoick spoke up, "But... we're at peace, now. Why wouldn't those of you who live here stay on Berk?"

Toothless snorted, lightly. **'This migration is driven by instinct, and has gone unchanged for years beyond counting. Also, our peace is new – and preceded by centuries of... **_**conflict**_**.'** Several people winced at the way he said 'conflict.'

Then someone asked, "I take it you won't tell us where this island is, then?"

'**No.' **Toothless 'voice' was firm. **'It is not for lack of trust, but given past events... would you really expect me to? – Especially after so short a time? They will return, when the young ones are able to fly – that is the soonest that they ****can**** do so.'**

Their questions answered, the crowd gradually broke up – returning to their previous tasks, though with a lot less enthusiasm. –– It looked like it would be a dragon- free Snoggletog, after all.

_That evening..._

Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruff, Tuff, and Snotlout were walking through the streets of Berk. Toothless, meanwhile, was standing by a cliff – watching the sky in the direction the other dragons had flown off in.

"Well, that was depressing," Ruffnut commented.

"I know," Astrid agreed. "I was looking forward to spending the holiday with Stormfly."

Fishlegs seemed... strangely cheerful – until Tuffnut turned to him and said, "What are you so happy about? Don't you miss Meatlug?" Fishlegs mumbled something about "missing her so much", then he 'broke down' and hurried away.

The rest of them watched Fishlegs until he was out of sight, than Astrid spoke up. "I've got an idea – let's come up with a bunch of new holiday traditions! You know – to bury the sadness!"

Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff remained silent, but Hiccup said, "You know, Astrid might be on to something."

"Easy for you to say," Tuffnut retorted, gesturing to Toothless. "Your dragon can't go anywhere without you. Must be nice..."

With that, they started to drift off – each making their way home.

_The following morning..._

The following morning, Astrid put the first of her ideas into motion: a new traditional drink – yak- nog. When she found Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff, and Fishlegs – Snotlout was the first to try some, but... afterwards no one else would.

She felt a little disappointed, but covered it by saying, "Well, you don't know what you're missing. I bet Hiccup will love this."

Astrid found Hiccup in the forge, "What're you up to?"

"Well, you're going to think I'm crazy," Hiccup said – accepting a mug, and lifting his newest project for her to see. "I couldn't stop thinking about what Tuffnut said last night. Toothless can't come and go like the other dragons, and that's not fair. I was up all night, and... I think I've got a way to change that."

Astrid examined Hiccup's project – a new prosthetic tail. Unlike the previous versions, however, this would work by itself. It would connect to Toothless's remaining tail- fin, and extend or retract as it did.

Astrid was amazed, "No way – you built him a new tail! So he's going to be able to fly without you!" Hiccup had taken a gulp of the yak- nog, but she wasn't paying attention to his reaction. "But... what if he doesn't come back?" The moment she said it, she realized how ridiculous it sounded. "Who am I kidding, of course he will! – Well, I'm off to spread some more holiday cheer! You're amazing!" With that, she was gone.

_That afternoon..._

It was several hours before Astrid next saw Hiccup, and heard about what had happened.

Hiccup had given the new prosthetic tail to Toothless, and he could tell that the Night Fury had _liked it_. Then Toothless had taken off, and Hiccup hadn't seen him since midmorning. Just like that... the last dragon was gone from Berk.

_The following day..._

Toothless still hadn't returned by the following morning, and his absence weighed heavily on Hiccup – just as much as losing the helmet his father had given him, during his and Toothless's last flight.

Hiccup was dwelling on this, when he almost ran into Fishlegs – who was carrying a large basketful of fish. He watched Fishlegs hurry away, and slip into a nearby barn. Curious, Hiccup hid until Fishlegs had left, and opened the barn door. A second later, something slammed into him, and then... he was flying – clutching onto the ridges on both sides of Meatlug's head.

Then he heard Astrid's voice from somewhere below, "Hiccup? Where are you going?"

"I have no idea!" Then, Hiccup and Meatlug were on their way to... wherever it was that they were going.

_Minutes later..._

Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruff, Tuff, and Snotlout were gathered in the barn where Fishlegs had been hiding Meatlug. Fishlegs was fidgeting, "I can't believe her".

"You can't believe her? – You kidnapped your dragon!" Astrid couldn't believe Fishlegs either, at the moment.

Then Tuffnut called them over to a bale of hay near the back of the barn. Meatlug had laid her eggs before she'd left. As soon as she saw them, Astrid 'hatched' her next idea for a Snoggletog tradition. She told the others, and – eventually, they agreed to help.

_That evening..._

That evening, after everyone else in Berk had gone to bed; they returned to the barn and gathered up the eggs. Then they separated – each with a portion of the eggs. Between the five of them, they left a Gronkle egg for every family in the village.

When Astrid was down to her last egg, she glanced up to see Toothless coming in for a landing. He was a ways up, but he saw her and the egg. For some reason, he started shaking his head 'no'. Shrugging, Astrid placed the last egg in her last house – then came back outside, where the others had gathered.

As soon as Toothless saw her, he said, **'Please tell me the five of you didn't just put dragon eggs in all the houses?' **They nodded, **"Oh... not good, not good, not good."**

"Um... what's not good?" Astrid asked, a little apprehensively.

'**There's... **_**another**_** reason why we don't lay our eggs here on Berk. See... when dragon eggs hatch, they...'**

{-_BOOM_-} Something exploded in the house Astrid had just left. An instant later, something shot through the front door. Then, a few seconds later, a baby Gronkle landed at their feet.

'**... they do – well... **_**that**_**. It's probably too late now, but... a clutch of eggs usually hatch within a few minutes of each other.'**

A second later, it began. {-_BOOM_-}, {-_BOOM_-}, {-_BOOM_-}, {-_BOOM_-}...

Vikings came pouring out of their houses, into the square – doors blasted off their hinges, roofs were blown to bits. Chaos reigned, and Astrid stood there in stunned disbelief – watching the mayhem unfold.

It didn't help when Snotlout chuckled, turned to her, and said, "This was your best idea, yet!"

Stoick arrived just before the great wooden Snoggletog tree, in the middle of the square, caught fire. He spotted them, and bellowed, "WHAT IN THOR'S NAME IS GOING ON?"

When Toothless saw Stoick look at him, the Night Fury sat on his haunches, and lifted his forelegs in the universal gesture for 'Don't look at me – I didn't do it.'

Astrid smiled a small, apologetic smile, and said – helpfully, "Um... The eggs explode." (Unfortunately, that was when the egg in Stoick's house hatched – taking a third of the roof with it. – That 'probably' didn't help.)

**Part Two: The Dragons' Rookery**

_The previous day..._

Flying on a dragon was all- good – when you're actually on the dragon. Fortunately for Hiccup, Meatlug was willing to slow enough for him to clamber onto the Gronkle's back. How long they had been flying, he couldn't say – how much further they had to go, again... no idea. All he could do was hold on, and find out when he found out.

_A while later..._

They'd flown into a bank of fog – so thick that Hiccup could only see a short distance in front of him. When the dragon- headed prow of a shipwrecked boat appeared in front of him, he almost fell of Meatlug. '_A little warning would've been nice,'_ Hiccup thought. '_Though... if Toothless might've done the same thing just to be 'funny'_.'

That was when they came out of the fog – and Hiccup saw the island. It was rocky a rocky piece of land – with craggy mountains on the far side, and arms that reached around the front to shelter a fair sized bay. The inner shore was a sandy beach, and there – at the edge of the beach, and across the lower hills – were the dragons.

When they landed, Meatlug trundled off – while Hiccup took in the scene around him. A Deadly Nadder was 'delivering' a catch of fish to a nest- full of her hungry hatchlings and near- by; a Gronkle was pushing its eggs towards a pool of water.

Curious, Hiccup made his way over – kneeling by the pond and peering in. He caught a glimpse of a flash, than several more – than baby Gronkles began appearing at the surface. He smiled down at them, and then he spotted an egg that had been missed. "Hey, look – you missed one..."

He started towards it, but – instead of following, the dragon pulled back. An instant later, there was a {BOOM} – and Hiccup was blasted off his feet. Fragments of eggshell fell around him, and he looked back to see a yawning – perfectly safe – baby Gronkle. Several thoughts came to him at once, but what he said was, "Man, it's a good thing those don't hatch on Berk."

Getting to his feet, it occurred to him that Toothless had to be here – somewhere. So, he started to make a circuit of the island. He didn't find Toothless, but – after several hours of searching, he crested a ridge, and found...

"Hookfang!" He hurried down the short slope, and gave the dragon's snout a quick hug, before moving on to "Stormfly! – You have no idea how happy I am to see you guys! – And you have... babies!" A presence touched his mind, and Stormfly said, **'Good – to – see – you – too. How – is – As-trid?'**

Hiccup gave them a quick update on events at Berk, adding, "They understand why you left, it's just... everyone was really looking forward to the first holiday with dragons... A holiday I should probably be getting back to." Getting to his feet, he turned to Hookfang, "So, what do you say? – Think you can give me a lift back home?"

The Monstrous Nightmare let Hiccup get on its back, and they rose into the air. Before they rose out of hearing distance, Hiccup called, "I'll see you all back on Berk when you're good and ready."

Immediately, adult dragons started to open their wings and rise to join them. "Oh, no – no – no... I think I just started the return migration." Then the hatchlings made to follow – some only a few minutes old. Seeing their enthusiasm, Hiccup relented, "Well – if you insist."

A few of the young dragons tried to fly, but – when it became clear they weren't ready, they struggled back to the cliff edge. A few of the adult dragons noticed, and began to double back. "Well, this is never going to work." Then Hiccup had his brainwave. "Hang on – I've got just the thing!" With that, Hiccup directed Hookfang and a few of the other fully- grown dragons to the boat he'd seen while he was on Meatlug.

_Close to an hour later..._

At long last, all the younglings with Berk- parents had loaded on to the ship – and the adult dragons understood what they had to do. (Fly, and don't let go until they land.)

At last, they were ready to go.

**Part Three: "Happy Snoggletog!"**

_Astrid's POV..._

Berk was... well... not much to look at. Some of the damage would be easy enough to fix, but a number of buildings had been almost entirely destroyed.

She'd explained about her idea to give dragon- eggs as Snoggletog gifts – and waited for some reply.

When Stoick finally spoke, it was to the group at large, "There's a lot of work to do... We'd best start."

Astrid had been put to work – fixing a hole in someone's roof, while the others began salvaging any useful materials.

She felt miserable. Not only had her ideas for Snoggletog traditions failed, but she'd managed to destroy most of the village – too. As she worked, her thoughts returned to the yak- nog that had been her first idea. '_I was so caught- up in trying to turn the holiday around, I didn't even stop to __taste__ the drink._' Her friends' reaction should've been a giveaway, but – no. '_I even gave some to Hiccup..._'

That took her thoughts in a whole new direction. '_Hiccup..._' The way she felt towards him had changed a lot, and in a very short time. It occurred to her that she'd allowed herself to be blinded by appearance: Not like most Vikings? – Moving on. Now, however... '_Now that I'm actually getting to know __him__... I... I 'like' him._' Even as it formed, the thought startled her – but... it was the truth. She thought back to the battle with the Red Death – when she'd thought Hiccup had died. Then the relief when she saw he was alive... she'd even _kissed_ him – in front of half of Berk! How could she not know that...?

Then she heard voices talking from below her – Stoick, and... Gobber.

Stoick, "This is a disaster..."

Gobber, "Oh, it's not that bad."

Stoick, "Oh – not that bad? The village is destroyed, the dragons have... have gone and left us! –– Let's face it... This holiday is a complete... – What are these people looking at?"

Astrid looked up and – sure enough... something was flying towards them. The thing... no – things – drew nearer, and finally, they could see what it was...

Stoick, "It's Hiccup!"

Astrid, "... And our dragons!" As she spoke, she clambered down the ladder, and joined the others.

The atmosphere changed in an instant. The crowd of Vikings was clapping and cheering – though a few also looked confused, like they were asking themselves the same question she was: '_What are they carrying?_'

A few minutes later, the battered hull of a Viking warship was landed – slowing to a stop, about twenty feet away from them. The dragons let go of the ropes they'd been carrying, and started to find places to land. The Monstrous Nightmare, Hookfang, landed just in front of them – and Hiccup slid off his back.

Hiccup grinned at the rest of them, then turned back to the ship, "We're here – Come on out, guys!" A few seconds later, the first of the baby dragons came into view – then they were pouring out, and surging forward after their parents.

A moment later, Stormfly was next to Astrid – and Viking girl heard her dragon say, **"Astrid! Meet younglings! Meet younglings!"** An instant later, Astrid found herself cooing over a half- dozen baby dragons – all clamoring for her attention.

Then, Stoick's voice boomed over the noise of the reunion, "EVERYONE! – GRAB YOUR DRAGONS! TO THE GREAT HALL! We finally have something to celebrate!"

It was slow going, but – Vikings and dragons were soon making their way to the Great Hall. As she was starting to make her way up, she passed Hiccup – and saw the expression on his face.

"Toothless wasn't at the rookery," he explained – when he saw Astrid looking at him, questioningly.

"Actually... he came back this morning. I don't know where he is now." She paused for a moment, and then added, "Maybe we'll see him at the Great Hall – Everyone's going there, now."

Hiccup agreed, and continued on with them – following the progression, stretching out ahead of them.

As they walked, Astrid thought about the realization she'd come to – just before Hiccup and the Dragons of Berk had returned. Part of her wanted to tell Hiccup – right now. Another part of her wanted to tell him about the eggs – and dreaded him finding out about it. –– But she knew she couldn't bring herself to do either of those things – At least, not yet.

_In the Great Hall – Some time later..._

_Astrid's POV..._

Hiccup had made several rounds of the Great Hall... There were Vikings and dragons everywhere... but there was no sign of Toothless. – Astrid caught- up with him just as he was about to start another circuit, "Hiccup... I know this must be really hard for you – Seeing everyone with their dragons. But you really did a wonderful thing – Thank you." She kissed him lightly, and pulled back – just in time to see the doors to the hall open, and Toothless poking his head in. Without thinking, she added, "Man... I wouldn't want to be you right now – I mean... You brought back everyone's dragon _except yours_."

"Yeah – That's... not helping..." Grinning, Astrid pushed Hiccup around – until he saw Toothless. As soon as he had, he made a beeline for the new arrival.

"Bad dragon – Very bad dragon. Don't ever do that to me again, and... What – is – in – your – mouth?" A second later, the Night Fury... 'plopped' a very slimy helmet onto Hiccup's head.

A number of onlookers uttered exclamations of disgust, but Hiccup's focus was elsewhere... "Yes, you've found my helmet... You've found my helmet! – That's where you've been?"

'**I saw how much it means to you. Once you gave me this new tail- fin, I decided to go and retrieve it.'** Toothless paused for a moment, and then added, **'Maybe I should have said something, but I wanted it to be a surprise.'** Toothless projected his words directly into Hiccup's mind – so only he could hear.

Hiccup nodded, "So... How's the new tail working?"

Toothless lifted his new tail for the onlookers to see, and – this time, Toothless 'spoke' so that everyone could hear, **'It works perfectly, but... I prefer the last system – Alone, neither of us is whole, but together we are more than either **_**could be**_** on their own. It symbolizes all that we've achieved.'**

Hiccup looked uncertain, so Toothless added, **'I think we should carry this new version with us from now on – Should the other get damaged, or I should **_**need**_** to fly on my own, I'll use this. The rest of the time... I'll use the one that means the most to me.'**

It took a moment for Toothless's meaning to sink- in, than Hiccup grinned – as did many of the onlookers. Then the celebrations resumed – the atmosphere even more festive than it had been, mere moments before...

_**To be continued...**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Snoggletog: Aftermath**

**_The following day – Early morning..._**

It was early morning when the main Snoggletog celebration in the Great Hall of Berk, finally began to wind down. It would have lasted longer, but there was work to be done, the following day. The 'dragon egg incident' had damaged almost every house in the village. (It would be a slow start as it was, considering how much people had been drinking.)

For Astrid, the festive mood had evaporated the moment she'd left the Great Hall: It had been _her _fault – _all her fault_. She looked over the village – or what was left of it, and sighed. It had seemed like a perfect idea...

_The dragons had gone – as was most of the villagers' holiday cheer. Then she'd had her brainwave. "Let's make up a bunch of new holiday traditions! – You know... to bury the sadness!" Her friends –Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff, and Fishlegs remained silent. Finally, Hiccup said that "Astrid might be on to something." The traditional drink – yak-nog – had been her first idea. She'd made it herself, and then set out to spread 'holiday cheer.' It was only after several people had turned it down that she'd tried it, and discovered how disgusting it had been. It had been a blow – made worse by the fact that she'd already given some to Hiccup. Hiccup. Not so long ago, he'd been nothing more than a nuisance – to her, and the village at large. Since he'd' introduced' her to Toothless, the Night Fury – and the __dragons__ to Berk, everyone began to see him differently. Even her... Especially her..._

Then a voice brought her back to herself. "Astrid... you ok?" It was Hiccup – emerging from the Great Hall just behind her. Scrambling to marshal her thoughts, Astrid managed to smile back, and say, "I'm fine." They started down the steps, and through the village.

There was silence for a few minutes, then Hiccup – who'd been taking in the damage to the houses – asked, "What happened while I was gone?"

Astrid managed to say, "It's my fault." Then she lost her composure, and tears started to fall. She felt ashamed, and – while she'd usually hide her emotions, she trusted Hiccup. Besides, they were off the beaten path and pretty much everyone else was at home or ... 'finishing their drinks'.

Hiccup seemed surprised, "Why would you say that?" He put a hand on her shoulder, and led her over to a short stone wall. They sat down, and Astrid started to talk.

She explained everything. Starting with the yak-nog failure, and ending with the exploding dragon eggs left behind by Meatlug – Fishlegs' dragon. Hiccup listened without interruption, than he was silent for a few minutes. Now that the story was out, Astrid felt somewhat more relaxed, but tense. She'd just admitted to two major blunders, to someone she... well, 'liked'.

Finally, Hiccup said, "Ok, so your ideas didn't work out as you'd hoped – but you were trying. While everyone else just gave up, you were doing something about it. And your ideas were good."

This wasn't the reaction had expected. "The yak-nog was terrible, Hiccup – I tried it. And the eggs..." She gestured around the village. "... If you hadn't come back with the dragons, Snoggletog would've been ruined. It was my fault."

"Nobody knew that the eggs would explode. I only found out when I was at the dragons' rookery", Hiccup continued. "As for the yak-nog... things almost never turn out perfectly the first time. Do you remember the afternoon you found me in the woods – before you met Toothless?"

Astrid nodded, not sure where this was going. Hiccup continued, "The stuff I had with me? It was my _fifth_ attempt to fix Toothless's tail. The first four... You don't want to know how they turned out." He turned to face her, grinning. Astrid chuckled, "_Five_ times?" Hiccup nodded, "And that's not counting the one Toothless wore when we were at the nest, the one Gobber made, or the one I made the other day. Besides, I think Snoggletog _needs_ a traditional drink – not the same thing as any other day."

Astrid's mood began to lift. This was exactly what she'd needed. It was true that no one had known that all dragon eggs exploded when they hatched, and the bit about Toothless's tail made her feel better about the yak-nog failure. But there was one other thing...

"I don't know where to start with improving the drink, though." Astrid admitted, uncertain again.

"We can look at what you used for this one... maybe make a few tweaks." Hiccup offered, standing. "So – Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Astrid watched him walk away, and then she stood, and started for home. '_Tomorrow...'_

**_Tomorrow..._**

Astrid awoke, feeling refreshed, and considerably more like herself than she had the evening before. She slipped outside, pausing to check on Stormfly – her Deadly Nadder. The dragon was curled up with her babies – asleep. It was nearly midmorning, but the village was quiet. Almost everyone who was old enough to drink – and some who weren't – was nursing their hangovers.

Astrid made her way towards the forge – thinking that Hiccup might be there, or in that area. As she walked, she saw people working to repair the damage. On several occasions, she stopped to say sorry – but nobody seemed too upset. She even heard someone joke about "finishing the holiday with a bang."

She found Hiccup and Toothless just as they were finishing repairs on the roof of Hiccup's house. When he saw her, Hiccup shot her a grin and headed over – Toothless bounding along behind him. Astrid was about to apologize, but caught herself. Instead she said, "I have the old recipe for the yak-nog... Is now a good time?"

"Sure." Hiccup scanned the scroll Astrid had given him. After a moment, he asked "When you made this, was it hot or cold?"

"It was... cold – Why?" The question didn't make sense to Astrid, but she knew Hiccup had a reason for asking.

"Well... Berk is cold year-round, so I'm thinking a hot drink would be good idea. Also, when I tried it, it was... a bit strong. – So, here's what I'm thinking..."

When Hiccup had finished explaining his idea, Astrid asked, "Do you really think it'll work? It's almost exactly the same as what I made the first time."

"It's a process. We'll change what we need to, as we need to, but not too much at one time. That'll help us zone in on what we want. Besides, I've got a feeling you're closer to a breakthrough than you think. So... shall we?" Astrid felt herself blush – slightly at the complement, but she agreed.

**One hour later...**

Hiccup and Astrid stood in front of a small pot, inside of which boiled the second attempt at yak-nog. When Astrid had first prepared her invented recipe, it was with high hopes and great anticipation. Now she felt tense, uncertain, and self- conscious. She both wanted and dreaded seeing the results.

"It looks like it's done," Hiccup said, reaching for a mug and a ladle as he spoke. Before Astrid could react, he ladled some into the mug, blew on it to cool it – and took a sip. He was silent for a moment, then grinned. "It needs a little more work, but... We're making progress."

Suddenly Astrid remembered how to breathe. "It... worked?" It didn't seem possible. Instead of answering, Hiccup ladled some into a second mug, and handed it to her. Astrid hesitantly took the mug, and had a sip. It was hot, but... creamy. It needed something to add some more flavour, but aside from that... "It is good!"

"I told you it'd work – OW!" Hiccup started to say, before Astrid punched him in the shoulder. She couldn't tell Hiccup – not yet, at least – but the shoulder punch was an alternate to a hug – as well as a means to divert a conversation away from more 'emotionally awkward' topics. (In this case, it also gave her a second to ensure they were alone, before the kissed him.)

As she pulled back, she saw a small grin on his face and an all-too-understanding look on his face. HE KNEW, she realized – or, at least – he suspected. She felt her face redden, but Hiccup didn't call her out on it. Instead he said, "It still needs a bit more flavour. I heard about something from Trader Johann that would do the trick. - I think its called cocoa- powder... – He's supposed to be here in a few days. We can talk to him then."

Just then, they heard a low growl/roar from the entrance to the forge. Turning, they saw Toothless. The Night Fury didn't speak; he just stood – staring at Hiccup pointedly. The Night Fury flapped its wings, and looked upwards. Hiccup turned to Astrid, "Toothless and I usually go flying first thing in the morning. Today I – uh –had to work on the roof, and – and then we came here, so..."

Astrid grinned, "Go on." Hiccup turned to go, but before he did, she called, "Hiccup?" He turned back. "Thanks." Hiccup grinned again, "Any time, Astrid. Oh, and don't tell anyone else about the new and improved yak-nog. We'll show them when it's done."

Astrid nodded, and Hiccup and Toothless vanished into the sky in a flash of black.

_Soon after..._

Once Hiccup and Toothless had left, and Astrid hurriedly cleared the space where they'd been working. When she left the forge, she went directly to her house – to put the recipe in a safe and dry place, until she and Hiccup could add the finishing touch to their holiday creation.

When she emerged, she saw Stormfly – who had, apparently, just returned from a fishing trip. Once the dragon had... 'Delivered' her catch to the hungry baby dragons, she joined Astrid – and the two of them joined the rest of the village to complete the repair work.

Unlike before, Astrid had to work to keep her _good mood_ under control. The new yak-nog had proven to be a success, and the most of the damage had been fixed. '_One upside to living with nightly dragon attacks for 300 years', _Astrid reflected. '_Once you make peace, people don't mind having to clean up after a series of explosions, once in a while._'

Before long, Hiccup and Toothless returned – ready to pitch in, but they couldn't find much to do. Everyone else seemed to have come to a silent agreement: 'Hiccup brought the dragons back. He gets the day off' – though nobody told him that. (Astrid had to chuckle as she watched Hiccup gather a pile of boards, leave to find a hammer and nails. By the time he got back, the boards were gone and a nearby section on wall had been fixed. Both Hiccup and Toothless stood there for a moment – staring first at where they'd left the boards, then at the wall. Both seemed to have the same perplexed expressions on their faces.) After a minute, they both seemed to shrug, and they went on their way.

By evening, the village was as good as new, and – after a hearty supper, the villagers turned in for the night. Trader Johann was expected to make port the following day, and his visits were always highly anticipated.

The anticipation was evident, the following day. When Bucket shouted "Trader Johann", from where he stood on the docks, the inhabitants of Berk charged down – as though they were being chased by dragons. (Granted, there _were_ a number of dragons following them – though they were merely curious to find the source of the commotion.)

At the first opportunity, Astrid and Hiccup took Trader Johann aside, and asked him about cocoa- powder. They were in luck, he told them – he had two pouches left, adding that it came from a supplier at one of his less- visited ports – who, in turn, got it from the most distant port on _his_ route. The two young- Vikings told Johann – in confidence – about their drink plan, he promised that he would set aside more for them, when he next visited the port where he procured his supply. When asked what they wanted to trade, Hiccup offered a hand- made spyglass – identical to two others he'd given in previous trades. Johann seemed less than excited, but he accepted the trade.

The two left, triumphant – but too focused on their success to notice the next individual to approach the trader. It was a grumpy- looking old man – Mildew. "Greetings, Trader. I'd like to make a request for your next stop 'ere. I've heard about a 'special' kind of flower..."

But by then, Hiccup and Astrid were well out of earshot – running in the direction of the forge.

Soon, the two Viking teens sat over their second pot of modified yak-nog – having just added the final ingredient. Hiccup gave it a final stir, than ladled some into two mugs. Hiccup handed the second mug to Astrid. They lifted their mugs in a silent toast, and drank...

**_Yak-Nog_**

On its own, the new yak-nog had been warm and creamy – but plain. Adding the cocoa- powder had certainly fixed that problem. This _finished_ yak-nog warmed them from the inside – providing a welcome relief from the chill, and leaving a pleasant aftertaste in the drinker's mouth.

Astrid spoke first, "Wow... this is incredible." Hiccup nodded in agreement – savouring the warmth that was seeping through him.

"Now", said Hiccup, "We..." He was interrupted by the sound of someone walking past the entrance of the forge.

It was Snotlout – dripping wet, and heading towards the Great Hall. When he saw them staring at him, he said "Fl-flying w-w-with H-o-Hook-f-f-fang. S-t-Stu-Stupid dragon ... to-took me f-f-for a d-d-dip. Now I'm f-f-f-freeing." Behind him appeared Hookfang – who appeared to me smirking.

"We've got yak-nog, if you want some." Astrid offered, smirking at the momentary look of fear that appeared on Snotlout's face. Then she said, "Relax. We made a few 'tweaks' to the recipe."

Reluctantly, Snotlout took the mug Hiccup had filled for him, and took a sip. "This is not yak-nog!" Then, before Astrid or Hiccup could say a word, he chugged the rest of the contents of his mug – burning the inside of his mouth. Then his eyes widened, and he took off again. "Hot-hot-hot-hot..."

"I think he liked it." Hiccup said, after a moment of silence. "Well... before he chugged it. You'd think by now he'd know 'steam means hot'."

Astrid was thinking about what Snotlout had said – "This is not yak-nog" – it was a reminder she didn't need. She put the thought out of her mind, and said, "Well, it is Snotlout – he's not exactly bright."

"Let's get this to the Great Hall", Hiccup suggested. "And we'll be sure to tell people it's hot – just to be safe."

The next person to try the drink was Stoick the Vast – Hiccup's father, and the chief of the Vikings of Berk. He liked it – actually setting aside his mug of beer – "for later" – in favor of the new drink. He also instructed Astrid to bring a copy of the recipe to the kitchens. "They're going to need it."

'_It worked_', Astrid thought. 'The _drink I was about to give up on – would have given up on – is now a traditional Snoggletog drink!_' She glanced over to where Hiccup stood – next to his father. '_Thanks to him..._'

**_To be continued..._**


End file.
